Grandstanding

Written by Anthony Douglas on 10 March 2019.

It’s pretty likely that not one of our political pundits would have been able to tell us two years ago that the defining issue for the 2019 state election would be football stadiums. Law and order, education, health, the state of the budget - even council amalgamations - all are more likely candidates. And yet, here we are, being asked to choose between two policy positions on public performance places for professional players. And yes, that last line was meant to sound ridiculous, because, frankly, it is!

Normally, all the fireworks take place on the field of play, but this week, the Labor leader cleverly managed the media circus to ensure that we would all spend our time reflecting on what price we were prepared to pay for comfy seats at the footy.

How do we think about voting in elections? The vast majority of people don’t have their names on a ballot paper, but still end up voting for themselves. We vote for the party with the policies that will suit us the best, increase our security, maximise our comfort... in short, who will look after us the best.

But a society exists to allow its members to cooperate, so that collectively the quality of life is better. If we are going to participate in our society, surely we should do so in a way that is not perverse! And that will mean seeking what is best, in this case, for the people of NSW. Working that out while the political candidates and the press are trying to tell me all about what will suit me... will mean that it’s good to pray for wisdom, and then trust God to look after the scoreboard.